Cognitive Dissonance Examples: Meaning, Causes, Real-Life Situations, and Practical Solutions

 Examples Of Cognitive Dissonance Simplified

Do you ever:

Realize you’re doing something bad for your health and continuing it?

Believe one thing and do something that contradicts that belief?

Experience a lot of discomfort from making a hard decision?

All of these are examples of mental discomfort that can also be called cognitive dissonance.

The term cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort a person feels when either a person: 

1. has conflicting or opposing beliefs and behaves in a way that shows they don’t believe that thought; 
2. has a belief and thinks they behave in a way that is different than their belief; 
3. has two differing thoughts.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when the brain has two opposing thoughts or when the brain is conflicted.

People have an overwhelming desire to reduce their cognitive dissonance and for this reason, the study of cognitive dissonance is an ongoing topic in:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Education
• Marketing
• Relationships
• Research on mental health

In my complete guide you will learn:

• What is cognitive dissonance?
• Famous examples of cognitive dissonance.
• Causes and symptoms of cognitive dissonance.
• How cognitive dissonance will affect your decision making ability.
• Problem solving techniques for reducing cognitive dissonance.
• Practical tips on reducing cognitive dissonance.

What Is Cognitive Dissonance?

Psychologist Leon Festinger introduced the idea of cognitive dissonance in 1957.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when the individual has mental discomfort when there is an inconsistency between his/her beliefs and behaviours.

For example:

A person knows that smoking is dangerous.

However, the person continues to smoke regularly.

Therefore, the person can’t help but think in his/her mind, “I know smoking is dangerous, yet I continue to smoke.”

This is how cognitive dissonance creates emotional distress.

Cognitive Dissonance Explained

Definition

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when one's thoughts, beliefs and behaviours are contradictory.

Why does cognitive dissonance occur?

The human brain naturally wants:

• consistency;
• logic;
• emotional equilibrium.

When contradictions are present, your brain will try to either:

• justify your behaviour;
• change your beliefs; or
• mitigate your guilt or discomfort.

Cognitive Dissonance Examples

1.) Smokers Who Know That Smoking Is Dangerous

This is perhaps the most common example of cognitive dissonance. A smoker may be aware that smoking causes lung damage or increases their chance of cancer but they'll still continue to smoke regardless of that knowledge. In order to reduce their discomfort, they will often provide themselves with rationalizations for their continued smoking. For example, they may say to themselves:

• "Many people smoke and live long lives."
• "I can quit at any time."
• "Stress is worse for me than smoking."

The use of mental justifications will help to alleviate the internal conflict for a limited period of time.

2.) People Who Spend Beyond Their Means

While an individual may believe savings are important and will continue to buy items such as expensive electronics or luxury goods even though they didn't want to spend that money, they will then rationalize their decision to spend:

• "I deserve this."
• "It was on sale."
• "I can make money off this item later."

3.) People Who Stay In an Abusive Relationship

An individual may realize that they are in an unhealthy relationship and the other person is not meeting their emotional needs but they won't leave the relationship for one of several reasons:

• They are afraid of being alone.
• They hope that things may get better.
• They have invested a lot of time in the relationship and have built an emotional investment in it.

As a result of these justifications, an internal conflict will remain.

4. Procrastination And Student Stress

A student has a sense that:

studying early makes one do well on tests

However, he/she spends time doing:

looking at Social Media

watching Videos

delaying his/her Homework

Later, this results in feelings of guilt and anxiety.

5. Poor Eating Habits In Relation To Fitness Goals

A person wants:

• to lose weight
• to be healthy
• to achieve their fitness goals

However, he/she continues to eat:

• junk food
• sweet foods
• fast food on a regular basis

This creates feelings of frustration.

6. Being Environmentally Conscious While Being Wasteful

A person may support:

• protecting the environment
• reducing pollution

However, he/she continues to:

• waste plastic
• ignore recycling
• overconsume products

This creates feelings of discomfort.

7. Working In A High Stress Job

A person places value on:

• mental health
• family time
• peace

However, he/she remains in:

• toxic work environments
• high stress jobs
• emotionally draining jobs

Usually due to:

• financial pressure
• fear of change
• social pressure

Psychological / Emotional Symptoms Of Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance has been associated with:

• stress
• anxiety
• guilt
• shame
• emotional tension
• confusion
• decision fatigue
• self justification

In some cases emotional conflict is increased over time due to cognitive dissonance and results in emotional exhaustion.

According to research conducted in psychology, it is common for people to attempt to create consistency between:

• their thoughts
• their feelings
• their actions

American Psychological Association Definition of Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance is psychological discomfort that arises as a result of inconsistent thoughts/behaviors.

Simply Psychology Cognitive Dissonance Theory explains that people will frequently change beliefs or rationalize their decisions to create consistency.

The impact of Cognitive Dissonance on Mental Health

Cognitive Dissonance (CD) can result in:

• Chronic Stress
• Emotional Burn-Out
• Low Self-Esteem
• Over-Thinking
• Mental Fatigue

Your brain is always trying to lessen the internal tension of your CD.

Cognitive Dissonance and Social Media

Social Media can amplify CD, as individuals:

• Compare themselves against others
• Portray an unrealistic lifestyle
• Seek affirmation
• Conceal their emotions

Examples are when someone appears happy on social media while feeling stressed and exhausted inside of themselves.

Cognitive Dissonance and Relationships

Example of CD in relationships are:

1. Remaining with partners you do not get along with.
2. Disregarding your partner's toxic behaviours.
3. Justifying unhealthy treatment of yourself by your partner.
4. Lowering your expectations of what you deserve from a partner (based on how you are treated).

Many people enable their CD by rationalizing abuse to themselves to eliminate emotional tension.

Cognitive Dissonance and Education

Students may experience CD when there is a misalignment between their actions and their goals.

Students may experience CD between their motivation and their habitual behaviours; or, between their fear of failure and having to put forth effort.

CD can negatively impact:

• Concentration
• Productivity
• Confidence

Ways to Eliminate Cognitive Dissonance

1.  Recognizing the contradiction

The first step towards eliminating CD is awareness.

Ask yourself the following two questions:

1. What belief(s) am I demonstrating is not in alignment with my behaviour(s)?
2. What is making this situation feel as if it's uncomfortable?

Self-awareness decreases confusion.

2.  Accept imperfection

Humans are never 100% consistent.

Accepting your imperfections will decrease:

• Shame
• Guilt
• Emotional Pressure

3.  Change your harmful behaviours.

May times the healthiest way to resolve CD is to make behavioural changes.

Some examples include:

• Quitting unhealthy behaviours
• Improving sleep habits
• Managing stress more effectively
• Reducing procrastinating

4. Assess Beliefs Accurately

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are my beliefs realistic? Am I neglecting viable evidence? Am I justifying unhealthy decisions?

Being honest about how you feel will assist you when you make choices.

5. Reduce Over-analyzing

Too much thinking leads to increased stress levels on your mind.

Ways to be less stressed:

mindfulness, writing in a journal, meditating/exercising, talking with a professional counselor.

Daily Practical Techniques for Managing Cognitive Dissonance

Practice daily self-reflection.

Spend a few moments each day considering your thoughts/behaviors.

Keep a journal.

Keeping a journal helps you to clarify any inconsistent thoughts.

Work to become more emotionally aware.

Once you become aware of your feelings, do not ignore them.

Focus on small changes.

Making gradual changes may help you to become less psychologically conflicted.

Stop being a perfectionist.

Perfectionism causes you to add unnecessary stress and develop high levels of self-criticism.

Establish reasonable goals.

Setting unrealistically high goals will usually result in diminished motivation and internal frustration.

Cognitive Dissonance and the Decision-Making Process

Examples of people experiencing cognitive dissonance are when they have:

• purchased an expensive item, chosen a career path, left a relationship with someone, or made a risky decision.
• Cognitive Dissonance is often referred to as post-decision cognitive dissonance.
• Individuals may seek reassurance that their decision was correct, which is due to their dissonance.

Examples of Businesses Using Cognitive Dissonance in Marketing

Many companies utilize cognitive dissonance in their marketing efforts.

Some examples:

Helping consumers justify their purchases, ensuring that a purchase is confirmed, developing emotional connections to products or services.

Companies that tend to do this can be found primarily in these three industries—high-end product industries, technology industries, and lifestyle marketing industries.

Is Cognitive Dissonance Beneficial?

Cognitive Dissonance can, unexpectedly enough, actually be of benefit to you.

Cognitive Dissonance can provide you with motivation to achieve:

• personal development and self-improvement, opt for better decisions, and change the way you behave.
• The discomfort you may feel as a result of dealing with Cognitive Dissonance may spur you to make positive changes in your life.

Times When You Should Seek Help

If you have experienced cognitive dissonance and the result was one of the following:

• extreme anxiety
• extreme emotional turmoil (stress)
• unhealthy habits
• chronic stress
• marital difficulties
• or any symptoms of depression

Then you may benefit from the support of a professional therapist. A therapist can help identify patterns of thinking that lead you to develop such unhealthy behavior.

For more information, visit our page on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Conclusion 

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that we all experience at some point in our lives, when two or more conflicting beliefs, behaviours and/or decisions create internal turmoil.

When we understand how cognitive dissonance affects us, we can:

• better understand our self
• make better decisions
• reduce emotional distress
• develop healthier habits

Instead of continuing to ignore the conflict inside, if we learn from it, we can grow as individuals and develop a healthier mental state.

FAQs

What is an example of cognitive dissonance?

A common example of cognitive dissonance is that people smoke cigarettes knowing that smoking is dangerous to their health.

Is cognitive dissonance a mental illness?

Cognitive dissonance is a normal psychological experience and is not considered a mental illness.

Can cognitive dissonance lead to stress?

Yes, having conflicting thoughts and behaviours can lead to increased anxiety and emotional discomfort.

How can I lessen my experience with cognitive dissonance?

You may be able to lessen your experience with cognitive dissonance by:

• becoming self-aware
• changing your behaviour
• reflecting honestly on your behaviour
• managing stress
• seeking therapy

What is the psychological significance of cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance helps explain:

• decision-making,
• attitude change,
• emotional conflict,
• human behaviour.